A lighthearted cozy mystery. I didn't figure out who did it right away, but I did predict the romance interest of the main character. ( )

I found this msytery to be long and drawn out (and there weren't that many pages!) I also found myself wanting some of the whining to stop. I don't think I'll continue with this series. ( )

Corporate lawyer-turned candy maker Abby Shaw is miffed when Brandon Mills stands her up on their first date. She’s even more upset when he turns up dead following a fire in his men’s clothing store. Brandon had some ideas for the downtown area some of his fellow business owners didn’t care for. But was that enough reason to murder him and set fire to his store?

The cop on the case, Jawarski (whose given name no one seems to know) thinks Abby’s brother Wyatt is a top suspect, something Abby doesn’t believe for a minute. But then, does she really know her brother? Meanwhile the entire town of Paradise CO is atwitter over the murder – and most feel Jawarski’s already found the culprit in Wyatt. Abby decides to snoop around to give Jawarski another suspect or two.

This is a very lightweight, lighthearted cozy with an appealing enough heroine in Abby Shaw. Unfortunately, that’s not quite enough to bring my rating much over 2 quills. The plot bogs down in several places and the dialogue is pretty boring –too much like real conversations. The author goes over and over the same ground, and gives too much detail about things that have nothing to do with the plot. It’s as if there isn’t enough story to stretch over the book’s 240 pages.

When I see proof with a blurb that says, “introducing the new … mystery series,” I often think it shows overconfidence to believe a book will be well-enough received to warrant a number two. I don’t think this one will have any staying power, unless the author tightens up the plotting, focuses more on the investigation, toughens her heroine up and plays a bit more fairly with the reader. I can’t say more about “playing fair” without revealing too much of the plot. Candy recipes are included.

First published in Myster News, Dec 05 - Jan 06 edition. ( )